Vending-machine.



*van F. H. R. BLANK. VBNDING MACHINE.

' APPLIOATIO FILED 213.12, 1912. Patented Apr. '8, 1913. r

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

E'. H. R. BLANK.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 12, 1912.

Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FRANK H. a. BLANK, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

vENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr; 8, 1913.

Application filed February 12, 1912. Serial N o. 677,114.

for the automatic sale and distribution ofl goods and more particularly of the plunger operated type.

A further object is to provide improved mechanism that will release first one side and then the other of a package, and. thereby require but a very short stroke of the plunger toY release a comparatively large package. This machine is adapted for the sale of paper drinking cups or the like.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical broken section. Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 are detailed views of the delivery mechanism in various stages of operation. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are detailed views of the coin-carrying and discharging mechanism.

The machine comprises, a case 8 having a base 9, a back 10, side walls 11-11 and a. top 12 rigidly secured together. A front 13, having a window 14, a cut-away portion 15 and a slot 16, is removably secured to the case 8 by pins 17 in the bottom thereof which engage suitable holes in the base 9 and by a lock 18, which engages .with the top portion 12. Rigidly secured within the casel 8, is a bottomless chute or receptacle 19 of suitablesize and shape to hold a large number of packages 20. A portion of the front of said chute 19 is open so that a view of the pile ofpackages 20 may be had through the window 14 and a weight 21 is placed on the top of said pile to force said packages downwardly in the chute 19 as fast as one is removed. y

A package 22 about to be discharged is held between an upwardly extending flange 23 on the bottom edge of the front of the receptacle 19 and a stationary wall or frame 24 longitudinally disposed in the case 8. A portion of the frame 24 below the open end of a chute 19 is cut out as at 25 to permit the passage of said packages therethrough and ejector 26 is slidably-mounted on said frame 24. Up-turned flanges 27 on the inner edges of the side portions of the carriage frame 24 engage the inner edges of the side rails pf the ejector 26 and outturned tongues 28 on said flanges 27 retain said ejector in sliding engagement on said frame `and permit of a fore and aft movement. The stroke of an ejector 26 is limited by the ends of the flanges 27' which stop the front and rear rails of said ejector by engagement therewith when said ejector is shifted. On rear rails 29 of said ejector 26 are secured up-turned lugs 30 on which a pivotal finger or dog 31 is tiltably mounted. Dog 31 is weighted so that normally it engages rail 29 and is disposed so that it may pass between inclined abut-ments 32, which support the rear df the stack of packages 20 on frame 24. The front of said dog 31 is formed with a down-turned lip 33 which is adapted to engage the rear edgeof one of said packages 20. An up-turned plate 34 extends partially along one side of the ejector 26 in one .piece therewith and to this a plate 35 is pivoted by a pin 36. The rear portion of this plate 35 acts as a weight and normally rests on one of the side rails of the ejector 26 so that the plate 35 is normally held in a position shown in Fig. 2.

A plunger 37 is slidably mounted adjacent the plate 34 in guides 38 formed b v the struck up portions on plate 24. A pin 39 on said plunger 37 engages a coil-spring 40 `and holds said plunger in a forward position as shown in Fig. 5. to the inner face of said between it and the plate 34 lis a plate 41 of such a size that the space between its rear edge and the front edge of the plate 35 will admit of the passage of a coin 42 when the plunger 37 is in its forward position. Above the space formed between the plates 41 and .35 and the-plate 34 of the side of the plunger 37 is a chute 43 which connects with the slot 16 in front 13.

A coin 42 is placed in the slot 16 and rolls down a chute 43 and its edges engage with the plates 35 and 41 and it is arrested b v an abut-ment or stop 44 on the plate 35. The plunger 37 is then pushed inwardly and the plate 41 moves the coin 42 which is Rigidly secured plunger 37 and engaged by the plate 35 so that the ejector 26 is moved backward a short distance. This movement causes the inner edge of the front of said ejector to engage the edge of the package 22 and moves said package from engagement between the flange 23 and the frame 24 and 'beyond the inner edge of said frame 24 so that it drops down onto a suitable slide 45 and out through the cutaway portion 15 in the front 13 of the case. As the package 22 is freed, the front ot the lowest package of the pile 20 drops onto the frame .24,and when the ejector 26 is shifted forwardly,I after the plunger 37 is released, the dog 31 engages the rear edge of the package at the bottomk of the pile 20 and moves it forward so that its front edge is` held between the flange 23 and the frame 24. This shifting of \the ejectoris accomplished. by an offset 46 on the front of plate 34 engaging with the front of the plate 41 so that when the plunger 37 is pushed by the spring 40, the ejector 26 is also moved. The plate 47 is secured on an oiliset 48 on the underside of a plate 24 and is weighted so that its rear upper edge is normally held against the underside of said frame 24. The lu 49 on plate 47 is arranged to slip under an abutment 50 on plate 35 when ejector 26 is shifted rearwardly but to engage said abutment when the ejector 26 is returned. This is accomplished by plate 47 being'tilted when the abutment 50 engages a trip-lug 49 in the first instance, but owingto the upper rear edge of the plate 47 being held normally against the frame 24 said plate 47 is held from tilting when the ejector 26 is moved forwardly. The abutment 50 engages the lug 49 thus securely held and a further for- Ward movement of the ejector 26 causes the plate 35 to turn on its pivot and thus turning to discharge the coin 42 throu h a chute 52 and into a coin-box 53 on the ottom of thccase 8. It will thus be seen that each time a coin is placed in the machine and the plunger operated, one package will be discharged and another placed in readiness for the next operation of the machine, the coin discharged onto a receptacle for the purpose and the whole mechanism placed in readiness for the next operation. If, however, the plunger is operated without placing `a coin in the slot, the plunger alone is shit` ed and no engagement between it and the ejector takes place so that the ejector remains unmoved land no package is discharged.

The improved mechanism is one adapted to be constructed of sheet metal the parts in which a comparatively large package may be handled.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a vending machine,the combination of a case, a chute for the articles, slidable means for holding the front and rear edges of the articles, 'an ejector, and means on the ejector to successively release the front and rear edges of the articles to discharge them.

2. In a vending-machine, the combination of a case, a chute for the articles, a frame, an ejector slidably mounted on the frame and formed to permit an article to pass therethrough, means on the frame for holding the front and rear edges of the articles,

and means for the ejector to successively re-- lease the front and rear edges of the articles and discharge them.

3. In a vending-machine, the combination of a case, a chute for the articles,l a slidable ejector formed to permit a. package to pass therethrough, means for holding the front and rear edges of the articles, means on the ejector to successively release the front and `rear edges of the article to permit it to fall through the ejector, and a frame in the case on which the ejector is slidabl'y mounted.

4. In a vending machine, the combination of a case, a frame within said case, a chute for the articles, a slidable ejector formed to permit the packages to pass therethrough, means for holding one of the edges of the article,.an inclined abutment on the frame, for supporting the opposite edge, and means on said ejector to successively release the front and rear edges. of the articles and discharge the article.

5. In a vending machine, the combination of a case, a frame within said case, a chute for the articles, an ejector slidably mounted on the frame and formed to permit sa-id articles to pass therethrough, means for holding the front and rear edges of the articles, means on said ejector to successively release the front and rear edges of the articles and permit them to fall through the frame, and a tilting finger on the ejector.

6. In a vending machine, the combination of a case, a chute for the articles, a slidable ejector, having an aperture therein to permit the articles to pass therethrough, means for holding the front and rear edges of the articles, means on said ejector to successively release the front and rear edges of one article and permit said article to fall through said ejector, and a frame in the case having an opening therein through which articles may fall andihaving its edges struck-up to form guides for the ejector'.

7 In a vending machine, the combination of a case, a chute for the articles, a slidable ejector having an aperture therein to permit articles to pass therethrough, means for holding the frontI and rear edges of the articles, means on said ejector to successively release the front and rear edges of one article and permit it to fall through the ejector, and a frame in the case having an opening therein through which articles may fall, having its edges struck-up to form guides for the ejector and out-turned lips on the struckup portions.

9. In a vending machine, the combination of a case, a rectangular frame in said case,

a rectangular ejector mounted to slide on said frame, said frame having upturned edges for guiding said ejector, said edges having indented portions for yholding said ejector on said frame, one end of said ejector having an upturned abutment for supporting the merchandise, a pivoted finger mounted on said ejector, and means for operating said ejector.

FRANK H. R. BLANK.

Witnesses:

FRED GERLAGH, MILDRED A. STUMPF. 

